Overkill in My Backyard

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Camp David

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I live in Fairfax... and these police tactics are obscene! Latest word today after police investigation is officer is not guilty! Obscene! Several stories follow to show what I mean!

SWAT Tactics at Issue After Fairfax Shooting
By Tom Jackman
Washington Post Staff Writer
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/01/26/AR2006012602136.html
Friday, January 27, 2006; Page B01
"...Salvatore J. Culosi Sr. still can't believe his son, a 37-year-old optometrist, was a suspected sports bookie. He can't believe a heavily armed SWAT team fatally shot his unarmed son, Salvatore J. Culosi Jr., outside his Fair Oaks home Tuesday night. And Culosi can't believe that the SWAT team's sudden descent on his son, apparently causing one officer to accidentally fire a .45-caliber handgun once into his son's chest, is standard procedure for Fairfax County police conducting a search..."

~
Overkill: The Latest Trend in Policing
by Radley Balko
http://www.cato.org/pub_display.php?pub_id=5439
"Radley Balko is a policy analyst specializing in "nanny state" and consumer choice issues, including alcohol and tobacco control, drug prohibition, obesity, and civil liberties. On Jan. 24, a SWAT team in Fairfax shot and killed Salvatore J. Culosi Jr., an optometrist who was under investigation for gambling. According to a Jan. 26 front-page story in The Post, Culosi had emerged from his home to meet an undercover officer when a police tactical unit swarmed around him. An officer's gun discharged, killing the suspect. Culosi, police said, was unarmed and had displayed no threatening behavior. It's unlikely that the officer who shot Culosi did so intentionally. But it's also unlikely that the investigation into this shooting will address why police sent a military-style unit to arrest an optometrist under investigation for a nonviolent crime and why the officers had their guns drawn when approaching a man with no history of violence. This isn't the first time a SWAT team in Virginia has killed someone while serving a gambling warrant. In 1998 a team in Virginia Beach conducted a 3 a.m. raid at a private club believed to be involved in organized gambling."

Salvatore Culosi Update
More details this morning from the Washington Post.
http://www.theagitator.com/archives/026200.php
"Culosi had no weapons in his home, and had no history of violence. What's more, police were conducting a document search. The possibility of weapons wasn't mentioned. Yet they sent the SWAT team anyway."

~

We live in a police state. Rookie police are militant, untrained, and lethal to law abiding citizens! Overkill in my backyard. Obscene!
 
I can attest to that. I don't rightly know what to do about it, but there it is.
 
I don't gamble and I do believe that it is sinful. But, this is not right, if in fact all the story is being told. It just seems that there has to be more to it, or someone needs to do something about these "loose cannons".

I mentioned this in another thread about police. It is a scary thought that SOME cops are bad, irresponsible, careless, or whatever they shouldn't be.

Bama61
 
boggles the mind

Is the PD really arguing (and the Commonwealth Attorney really buying)

that it is proper police procedure in FFX County

for police officers to point loaded firearms, with the safety off (it was an HK),

with their fingers on the trigger,

at suspects who are not obviously armed, are not resisting arrest, and are not suspected of a violent crime? :eek:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/23/AR2006032301820.html

No Charges in Shooting of Unarmed Man
Mother of Optometrist Killed by Police Calls Prosecutor's Decision 'Pathetic'

By Tom Jackman
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, March 24, 2006; B05


The Fairfax County police officer who shot an unarmed man to death in January will not be charged with a crime, the county's chief prosecutor announced yesterday, and the man's family angrily responded by claiming that a civilian in the same situation would have been arrested.

From the start, Fairfax police declared that the killing of Salvatore J. Culosi, 37, was an accident and that the SWAT officer who fired had done so unintentionally. Fairfax Commonwealth's Attorney Robert F. Horan Jr. said that when a person fires a gun without malice and unintentionally kills someone, "they do not commit a crime."

"I feel for the family of the victim in this case," Horan said. "You have to. But I also feel for the police officer. This is a good police officer. Fine record, almost 17 years. He's as shattered by this as any good police officer should be."

The officer is Deval V. Bullock, 40, a longtime member of Fairfax's SWAT team, numerous sources familiar with the case said. Bullock declined to comment when contacted earlier this week.

"My son is lying in a cemetery," said Anita Culosi, the victim's mother. "His whole life was ahead of him. That man pulled a trigger and shot my son dead. I can't handle that. It's just pathetic that they don't find something wrong with what they did to my boy."

Bernard DiMuro, the Culosi family's attorney, said: "A pointed gun with a finger on the trigger is not an accident. There is no doubt that had the shooter not been a police officer, he would have been charged criminally, and a jury would have decided the issue." He said Horan could have charged the officer with second-degree murder or manslaughter.

The Culosis also questioned whether the police could fairly investigate themselves and whether Horan had received a complete investigation. The family sent a letter to the Fairfax Board of Supervisors asking it to review the case, and to review police policies on the use of force and the use of SWAT teams as well.

Police spokeswoman Mary Ann Jennings said police are continuing to review their policies on the use of force and also on the use of SWAT teams in serving search warrants. Horan said he thought the use of SWAT teams by Fairfax police was appropriate.

Police had been investigating whether Culosi, an optometrist with offices in Manassas and Warrenton, was a sports bookmaker. An undercover officer had been placing bets with Culosi for nearly four months and arrived outside Culosi's townhouse in the Fair Lakes area on Jan. 24 to collect $1,500 in winnings, Horan said.

Culosi was standing next to the officer's car, on the passenger side, when the officer gave the sign for two SWAT officers to move in. They headed toward the car, one to arrest Culosi and one to protect the undercover officer, Horan said.

One officer pulled up in a car behind the undercover officer's. "As the officer came out, he was bringing his weapon up," Horan said. "In the course of bringing his weapon up, it discharged. He has no real explanation how."

Horan said the officer shouted the word "police" at Culosi. "Right after "police,' " Horan said, "it went pow."

Horan said the officer was aware that he should not have had a finger on the trigger and that he should not have had his .45-caliber H&K handgun pointed at anyone. "As he says, you keep your finger straight," Horan said. "He felt his finger was straight . . . but obviously his finger is not straight up. His finger has to be on the trigger."

Horan said the officer's gun was tested and was not at fault. He said the gun had a standard trigger pull and was modified only to add a flashlight on the barrel, but the flashlight was not in use.

Horan's decision not to pursue criminal charges does not affect any civil lawsuit the family might file, and DiMuro said one is likely.

The officer, originally placed on leave with pay, returned to work in an administrative job a couple of days after the shooting, Jennings said. Police said they will resume an internal investigation of the officer; they were prevented from interviewing him while the criminal probe was pending.

Horan said the accident "could have been based on the number of hours the officer was awake that day." He said the officer had started working at 5 a.m., overseeing a managed deer hunt in the Great Falls area aimed at thinning the deer population. Horan said the officer went home at noon that day, then returned to work at 8 p.m. Culosi was shot at 9:35 p.m.

Culosi's family members said they were launching a Web site, http://www.justiceforsal.com , to provide friends and the public with information about the case. "We are not going to sit by and allow this to happen to another citizen of Fairfax County," said Salvatore J. Culosi, the victim's father. "Our family will never understand this. And we will never be the same."
Click to expand...
 
Camp David said:
I live in Fairfax... and these police tactics are obscene! Latest word today after police investigation is officer is not guilty!
Click to expand...
No, you've got it wrong, Camp David. It's not that he's not guilty; he's not even being charged so that a jury can hear the facts and determine whether he's guilty.

As a resident of Fairfax County, I'm glad to know that as long as I'm really shattered by something I do wrong, the police will give me a pass. And as long as I don't intend, with malice, to do harm, there's no foul. I guess Horan has never filed charges against someone for negligent homicide or criminal negligence. Or is that standard just for the police?
 
K-Romulus said:
Is the PD really arguing (and the Commonwealth Attorney really buying)

that it is proper police procedure in FFX County

for police officers to point loaded firearms, with the safety off (it was an HK),

with their fingers on the trigger,

at suspects who are not obviously armed, are not resisting arrest, and are not suspected of a violent crime?
Click to expand...
No, that's not what they're arguing. Horan is saying that the cop did violate procedures, shouldn't have been pointing his gun and should not have had his finger on the trigger -- but won't be prosecuted anyway. After all, he's been on the force 17 years and is really "shattered" about all this. Isn't that suffering enough?
 
Doesn't matter what you think about the morality of gambling, the State allows gambling. In fact, the State is quite willing to arrest people who are simply doing exactly what the State is doing. The State doesn't like competition. And if they want, they will kill you, just like the Mob.
 
Where are all the "your cop bashing" people today! Chime in! Let's here the other side explain how this can happen. This wasn't one man acting in a vacuum!
 
Sounds like the DA just gave all you people in VA a legitimate cover excuse for murder. Just say you didn't mean it, and your sorry. Then everything will be ok. I really hope this family wins their civil case. Either that, or shoot the cops when they talk to you becasue you never know when they may try to kill you. Tell them that you're sorry, but you felt like he was going to shoot you...better safe than sorry?
 
A Change of Venue?

I've always thought that if a defendants' lawyers can argue sucessfully for a change of venue in a trial for his client, why can't a victims family argue more or less the same thing? Would seem a lot more even-handed in this case.
To take it a step further, let the thing be on a lottery, where each state had an equal chance to 'host' the trial.
While i don't think anything will be accomplished by crucifying the LEO in question, most of the rest of us would surely have been sitting in a cell during this time, awaiting our fate at the hands of some over-acheiving prosecutor(s) and the local "fair & balanced" press.
If my trial-lottery idea ever catches on, this particular LEO better hope they don't ever choose New Jersey for his trial, because up here the Sheeple & the politicians hate guns so much they'd just go right to sentencing.
 
You guys just don't understand ... the guy who got shot was a criminal. Criminals are subject to being randomly shot by police - if you don't want to get shot, then don't break the law!

Besides, who are you going to call when someone illegally parks the wrong way in front of your house :confused:


:p
 
The guy was an ALLEGED criminal.

He never got the benefit of a trial. But it looks like the Cop won't get a trial either, so that's fair. :scrutiny:
 
Looks to me as the hand writing on the wall is very plain,
don't even look like you may be breaking the law.
is this really happening in this country?
 
"While i don't think anything will be accomplished by crucifying the LEO in question..."

You're kidding right? It might set a good example, might give the guy's family some closure. The victim is more important than the criminal. Actually firing and charging cops who kill people wrongfully isn't such a bad idea. Would a precedent like this put cops who stuff up no knock raids in jail?
 
SPIPHEL...

You took only one part of my statement and used it out of context. Had you carried the rest of my sentence into your quote, i think it's clear where i was going with the thread of my thoughts. No, i'm not kidding. The full quote should have been: While i don't think anything will be accomplished by crucifying the LEO in question, most of the rest of us would surely have been sitting in a cell during this time, awaiting our fate at the hands of some over-acheiving prosecutor(s) and the local "fair & balanced" press.
Just to spell it out for you, i am saying that i believe he should be too, even though i don't believe it would solve anything for the victims' family.
This LEO is not a criminal after all, and by all accounts this was an accident, even if it was an avoidable one.
 
Of course he shouldn't be crucified. OTOH, if he were to be shot in the chest with a 45, that would be reasonable.

One of the basic reasons for the government to maintain a system of public justice, is to prevent the need for private justice. When the government holds it's own to be above the law... Well, I'm reminded of a certain Declaration,

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
Click to expand...
 
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